House Targaryen of King's Landing
House Targaryen of King's Landing is a noble and royal family of Valyrian descent who rule the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. The Targaryen sigil is a three-headed dragon breathing flames, red on black. The house words are "Fire and Blood". The only family of dragonlords who survived the Doom of Valyria, the Targaryens left the Valyrian Freehold twelve years before the Doom. They resided for more than a century at Dragonstone on the island of the same name, until Aegon the Conqueror and his sister-wives, Visenya and Rhaenys, began the first of the Wars of Conquest in -2 AC. Following the conclusion of Aegon's Conquest in 1 AC, they built the Aegonfort in the new capital city of King's Landing. The Aegonfort was later torn down and replaced by the Red Keep, which remained their main seat for the duration of their dynasty, and which housed the Iron Throne. Their original castle was almost always given to the heir to the throne, the Prince of Dragonstone. The Targaryens eventually built the summer residence Summerhall, which has been given to several younger sons of the family over time. House Targaryen has ruled as the Kings of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, the Lords of the Seven Kingdoms, and the Great House of the Crownlands for nearly three hundred years. Seventeen male Targaryens have ruled from the Iron Throne since the house's establishment, with the most recent and still-incumbent being Aegon VI Targaryen. Culture Traits & Customs Traits The common phrase used by the Targaryens is notably the "blood of the dragon". This refers to the Valyrian descent of the Targaryens, and more specifically that they were one of the forty dragonlord families. The most typical way their looks are described is by the common Valyrian features, which are that of pale skin, silver, platinum, or gold hair and eyes of purple or light blue. They are notably able to be able to tolerate more heat than most people; however, this does not mean that they are entirely immune to the flame. On occasion, the members of House Targaryen are able to have (supposedly) prophetic dreams, which is actually the reason that they relocated from Valyria to Dragonstone before the Wars of Conquest. Due to the house's several generations of inbreeding, the Targaryens are prone to madness and several other birth deformities, many of which are mental. Jaehaerys II once stated "madness and greatness are two sides of the same coin. Every time a new Targaryen is born, the gods toss a coin in the air and the world holds its breath to see how it will land". Customs House Targaryen's words are easily remembered and recognised as "Fire and Blood". Their sigil, having been used since the reign of Aegon I, represents Aegon and his two sisters, Rhaenys and Visenya - the three that would commence the Wars of Conquest in 1 AC. Historically, some younger sons of the house used variations of the royal sigil. Notably, before his own reign, King Maekar I used the three-headed dragon, quartered, while his son, Aerion, changed the colours of the three heads. Aegon II, on the other hand, used a golden dragon as his personal banner. In line with the house's colours, many Targaryen kings and princes donned black armour and oftentimes decorated it with traces of red or gold, sometimes both. Despite the official Targaryen seat being at the capital of King's Landing, that is not their first seat. Their earlier seat, that of Dragonstone, remained in their possession, and would later become the traditional seat given to the heir-apparent of the Iron Throne, hence their style of "Prince of Dragonstone". In 188 AC, the Targaryen kings built another seat, that of Summerhall, which was usually granted to younger sons of the house. Those that were granted this seat were styled the "Prince of Summerhall". Before the Conquest, the Targaryens followed the gods of Valyria, their homeland. Years prior to the Conquest, members of the House converted to the Faith of the Seven, which was the predominant religion in Westeros. However, despite this, they continued following Valyrian practices - that of incestuous marriage, wedding brother to sister, cousin to cousin, uncle to niece, aunt to nephew, etc. - which would allow them to hold themselves apart from the families which they ruled in Westeros. Traditionally, the deceased members of the Targaryens are cremated. The ashes of Jaehaerys I and his wife, Alysanne, were interred and placed beneath the Red Keep. Ancestors The Sons of the Dragon Category:House Targaryen Category:Articles relating to Westeros Category:Kings of the Seven Kingdoms Category:Royal Houses Category:Great Houses of the Realm